A big ‘thank you’ this afternoon – to all those people who supported the campaign to save Bath’s open air Georgian lido – from the Chair of the Cleveland Pools trustees, Paul Simons.
We wouldn’t be here today – with a 4.7 million pound Heritage Lottery Fund grant ‘Christmas present’ – without it, he said. Now it’s full speed ahead on its restoration.
Bath Newseum met Paul a little earlier today – Wednesday, December 19th – at the Bathwick-based lido.
As landowner, Bath & North East Somerset Council has worked closely with the Trust, supporting it with a limited amount of grant funding and backing the Trust’s restoration scheme and bid for the Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
Cllr Paul Myers is cabinet member for Economic and Community regeneration and also spoke to Bath Newseum.
Meanwhile, local Lib Dem councillors have welcomed the announcement that the Cleveland Pools Trust has received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to restore the pools – but have their concerns.
Richard Samuel (Lib Dem councillor for Walcot Ward – where the pools are located) said “ after many years the Trust has succeeded in raising the funds needed to restore the Pools.
For well over a year I have been working with residents, the Trust, and the Council administration to try and minimise the anticipated disruption with this project.
We will need to move to move to the next stage for more detailed discussions but I am hopeful that everyone will pull together now that the decision on funding has been made.”
Cllr Dine Romero (Southdown Leader of the Lib Dem group said “restoring Cleveland Pools was supported by the last Lib Dem administration but we are aware that there are concerns and worries locally.
It is important now that the Trust works hard with residents in the next stages of this project.
While we all want to see the Pools brought back to their former glory nobody would welcome long periods of disruption during the build or when the project is finished”
